Sorry to not explain properly: AOL is my main and only account that I access through Outlook. My gmail a/c is for online purchases etc which I use when a company wants an email address and there is a possibility of it being sold on.

I tend to only use AOL for friends and family and thus get no spam.

I received confirmation of a purchase for my wife on my gmail a/c, which I access using a browser. I then forwarded it to her but she did not receive it until several hours later. This morning I sent a test email to my AOL account from gmail. It has still not arrived.

I also use a Hotmail a/c and Yahoo. They both arrive almost simultaneously.

I just send a test message from a Google mail account (via my browser) to my desktop version of Outlook.

It arrived about ten seconds later.

It's difficult to come up with any suggestions, other than waiting to see if it's being caused by a temporary problem on the email routing system - email has to make five or six hops between sender and recipient.

I'm grasping at straws here - if that was the cause it would be affecting lots of people, and these things tend to get fixed pretty quickly.

I received confirmation ...........on my gmail a/c, which I access
using a browser. I then forwarded it to her..............

Was that to another Gmail address? If it wasn't then send yourself a test Gmail message (sent from and received by the same email address). If you receive it almost immediately then it must be a problem with AOL (and/or whoever provides your wife's email).

Both messages from Yahoo & Hotmail arrived almost immediately so it must be an issue with AOL and gmail. God knows what?

I have had several instances recently where people have sent me emails and they have not arrived for several hours. One of these came from an automated system whereby the action of making a booking automatically generates an email. To my knowledge none of them were from gmail. I wonder what is going on with AOL and if anybody else with AOL is experiencing this?

At least I know not to use my gmail in future.Thank you for your help.

I can send a message to myself and it comes straight in as Outlook finishes synchronising.

This appears to be an AOL issue although I can't fathom why gmail should be delayed. Earlier I followed your advice and sent a test to Hotmail, Yahoo and another to my AOL. As I said: Hotmail & Yahoo were almost instantaneous. Bizarrely the same message appeared in my AOL Inbox after 30 minutes. However the message I sent earlier this morning has yet to arrive.

I feel that life is too short to call AOL with this issue, I shall just have to learn to be patient.

It would be good to know if anyone else with AOL experiences delays like this?